Morris tribune., 1887-06-01

A Broken Car-Wheel Causes the Death OF
Eight Persons-NIany Others Seriously
Injured-Terrible Explosion In q Coal Pie
Fatal Boiler Explosion.
PITTsBURG, May 30-A terrible accident
occurred on the Pennsylvania railroad near
Kittanning Friday night. While running at
a high rate of speed the fast line west met a
coal train ON the other track going east.
When the two trains were passing each other
wheel on one of the cars of the freight broke
and the car left the track and crashed into
the passenger train with dreadful effect. The
latest reports from the scene of the accident
state that eight were killed and six injured.
Four were killed outright and the others have
since died ----....- ..... -. &.
The train consisted of on express car, bag
gage car, smoker, three coaches, parlor car
and two sleeperS The careened freight car
first struck the side of the smoker at an acute
angle, and ploughed its way in this position
until it passed into the fourth coach, where it
pulled around and stopped, partly thrust
through that coach at right angles. Compar-
atively few passengers occupied the forward
coaches OF the number of deaths would have
been appalling as the interiors were COM
,pletely wrecked The dead and wounded re-
ceived immediate and careful attention at the
hands of passengers and trainmen.
Dale Graham, son of ex-Speaker Graham,
died from a rupture of the femoral artery,
living only long enough to whisper: Il am
from Allegheny City" John Doris the news
boy, was horribly mangled. His umbrella
was caught and thrust into his thigh and then
broken.
Following is the list of the dead: Dale B.
Graham, of Pittsburg; j. H. Stauffer, Of
Louisville, Ohio; Wymer Snyder, Shamokin,
Pa; John Doris, news agent, East Liberty,
Pa
The injured are: Frank McCune, New
York, right lung injured will die; Charles
Beidelman, Brindfeld, Noole county, Ohio,
skull fractured, injured internally, can not
recover; George 81. Pagles, Columbus, Ohio,
slight injuries to head and right leg; A.
Agen, Fayetteville, n. Y, head cut, right
side slightly cut; Clara Albert, Flint, Mich,
slight injuries to face; Hattie Luckett (col-
ored), Alexandria, Va. compound fracture Of
the right leg, she was wedged between the
timbers and had to be cut out; Edith Geise,
aged II, prostrated by shock, slightly in
jured; Rev. R II. Porter (colored), Detroit,
Mich, face and leg badly bruised.
None of the other passengers were seriously
hurt OF those reported injured four have
since been reported dead, but their names are
not stated. 49,
The trainmaster at Altoona said the acci-
dent was unexplainable. The wheels were of
the best make and had been inspected twice
after leaving Johnstown. 1t is supposed that
an axle breaking caused the accident, rather
than burst wheel, although after the wreck
both were found broken At the place where
the accident occurred are switches and it is
aot unlikely that the axle had been broken
previously. but did not cause any accident
until the switch was reached.
The Inflated train arrived at the Union
depot in this city at $50 Saturday morning,
with some ninety passengers abroad. For
four long hours group of anxious mortals
paced up and down the passageways lingering
impatiently and in awful suspense as to the
fate of their friends who had taken passage
on the fast line, and were expected to arrive
In tha city at 1855 Friday night f~~
Almost the first person to step from the
train was Miss Mel Mahon, a school teacher in
Florida, who was on her way to her home in
Beaver Falls, this state. Miss Mcmahon
furnished a thrilling account of the awful
catastrophe which overlook the fast line. The
story is best told in her. own words, as fol-
lows: 1901 ri s...tsEsF IL s.t
was sitting about the middle of the second
coach from the engine. The train was running at
at high rate Of speed when the accident hap
pened. The shock was terrific was thrown
violently against the seat in front Of me- The
train stopped suddenly. In a minute all was con-
fusion. and was at loss to know what had hap
pened. rIlsoon heard shrieks from the passengers
In the eoachin the rear Of the one Twas In, and
lat once knew that something awful had hap
pencil. raised the window and looked out. The
sight frightened me. The entire sides of the two
coaches Immediately in the rear of the one / was
In we're erlishedcin. i could see the passengers
climbing out over the coal cars lying on the ad-
joining track The passengers who were not in
iured assisted in removing the killed and
wounded. . 1t fas sight that VIII never forget
Several women in my car swooned away when
they saw what had happened.
Mr.. j. h -Peachof Bellevue, Mifflin county,
this state, was passenger in the third coach
from the smoking-car and related graphic
account Of the heartrending scenes which fol-
lowed the death-dealing crash He said
I I was sitting about. four. seats to the rear Of
Dale Graham. When the trains collided the en-
tire side Of our coach was crushed in and young
Graham was literally buried beneath the ruins
But one moan escaped his lips and he must have
died instantly, for he yas about the first. victim
we set about TO recover. When extrlcated from
the wreck his form was lifeless. The side of the
car was crushed down on top of him, and this
with large quantity of coal from the freightcar,
had crushed the young mans life out before any
assistance could be rendered. never want to
witness such distressing scenes again. 1t makes
my flesh quiver when think about it. The mem
ory Of the piercing shrieks Of women, mingled
with the agonizng cries of men, completely over.
powers me now, although when the sad calamity
occurred managed to keep possession of my
senses and aided in rescuing the victims to the
best OF my ability. We must have been running
at the rate OF about thirty miles an hour at the
time the collision occurred, and the freight l
should Judge was going about twelve miles an
hour. The freight was heavily loaded, and the
terrible crash caused a panic among the passen-
gers. am surprised that three times as many
were not dashed into eternity .,
AWFUL MINE DISASTER.